


Left to the Future

by nlg734



Category: Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:34:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25028569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nlg734/pseuds/nlg734
Summary: What the past meant for a Matoba.Spoilers for chapters 92-94.Written for Natsume Week 2020, Day 2: Past/Future
Kudos: 7





	Left to the Future

The past doesn’t necessarily define the future, but it does have a big influence, especially for the Matoba clan.

The family business, exorcism, is, of course, a product of the past. The knowledge and techniques gained over the ages were passed down. Old contracts with other families and youkai continued to have some effect. There were also the grudges.

It wasn’t his fault that an ancestor, a previous head of the clan, had decided to make a promise with no intention of keeping it. Yet, here he was, suffering the consequences. To him, though, it was just another thing the past had left on his shoulders. 

Another “tradition” left to him was one that needed to only be done once every so many years. The Miharu family, once of the eleven exorcist houses, now only a name in fading memory, had made a contract with three youkai, dubbed the “Three Pillars.” This time, he was the one to welcome the next guardian to the empty home. It wouldn’t need to be done again for another thirty years.

He didn’t often make a habit of thinking on his own future. What came, came. When making decisions, it was often for the benefit of the clan’s future. He did what he could to secure the power and future of his clan and those entwined with it.

This time, though, he did think of his own. This time, the ceremony went without much difficulty. But in thirty years? Well, he didn’t think it was going to be his problem anyway. Tragedy _was_ an occupational hazard.

It’s just one of the things he’ll leave for the future.


End file.
